193 



beginning of the dry season. The use of nicotinated pyrethrum, 

 hydrocyanic acid gas and trap-plants in the neighbourhood of vanilla 

 plantations has been recommended against it. 



Both in the colonies and in France, stored vanilla pods are attacked 

 by Tyroglyphus sp., a mite that eats the surface of the fruit, especially 

 at the extremities, covering it with a powdery layer and causing a 

 marked depreciation in its value. These mites may be destroyed by 

 . exposing the pods to a temperature of 140°-160° F. and by the 

 disinfection of the stores with sulphur. 



Akerman (A.). Influence of the Date of Earing on Damage done to 

 Spring Wheat by the Dipteron, Contarinia tritici, in Sweden. — 

 Sveriges Utsadeforenings Tidskrift, Malmo, xxviii . no. 2, pp. 90-93, 

 1918. (Abstract in Mthly. Bull. Agric. Intell & PI. Dis., Rome, 

 ix, no. 11, November 1918. pp. 1382-1383). [Received 24th 

 February 1919.] 



Larvae of Contarinia tritici caused considerable damage during 1917 

 to spring wheat in Sweden. Those varieties were found to suffer 

 most in which the date of formation of the ear coincides with the 

 moment when most of the female insects are about to oviposit. 

 Those in which the ear forms later are less afiected. 



Ellinger (T.). Cicadula sexnotata, a Hemipteron injurious to Wheat, 

 Oats and Barley in Sweden. — Vort Landbrug, Copenhagen, xxxvii, 

 no. 40, pp. 453-454, 1908. (Abstract in Mthly. Bull. Agric. 

 Intell. & PI. Dis., Rome, ix, no. 11, November 1918, p. 1383.) 

 [Received 24th February 1919.] 



Cicadula sexnotata caused serious damage to wheat in Southern 

 Sweden in 1918, the plants being so distorted as to prevent seed- 

 formation. The insect may migrate from winter wheat to spring- 

 sown oats and barley, causing similar injury. As wheat sown in 

 September appears just when the insects are most numerous, delaying 

 the date of sowing diminishes considerably the intensity of the attack. 



Del Guercio (G.). Gelechia ocellata, a Microlepidopteron injurious to 

 the Beet, new for Italy. — VAgricoltura Coloniale, Florence, xii, 

 no. 4, 1918, pp. 216-230, 5 figs. (Abstract in Mthly. Bull Agric. 

 Intell. <& PI. Dis., Rome, ix, no. 11, November 1918, p. 1384.) 

 [Received 24th February 1919.] 



Phthorimaea ocellatella, Boyd {Gelechia ocellata, Boisd.), was firs 

 ^ recorded from Italy in 1917 in the neighbourhood of Florence, where 

 it was injuring beet. In July, newly-hatched larvae feed upon the 

 tender leaves of beets and then tunnel into the root, causing the 

 foliage to wither and preventing development of the root. The 

 mature larva leaves the plant in order to complete its life cycle. 

 An internal parasite of the larvae is a Dipteron belonging to the 

 genus Masicera. Various methods of control for P. ocellatella have 

 been tried. Arsenical solutions promise good results, and also help 

 to control the fungus, Cercospora beiicola, and some Cassid beetles 

 that are injurious to beet. 



